Trolley-track.



PATENTED JUNE 23, 1908. v

T. G. PROUTY. TROLLEY TRACK. APPLICATION FILED Nair. 13, 1905.

THEODORE G. PROUTY, OF AURORA, ILLINOIS.

TROLLEY-TRAGK.

Application filed. November 13, 1905.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 23, 1908.

Serial No. 287,142.

0. PRoUrY, residing at doors, or, as they are more commonly called intrade, parlor doors.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide a cheap, simple andeffectivesupporting bracket for the rail which will grip or hold saidrail so tightly as to obviate the necessity of riveting together.

Another object of the invention is to provide improved means inconnection with such bracket for raising and lowering the rail as may berequired in order to adjust the rail to a horizontal position; and stilla further object of theinvention is to provide a rail of an improvedconstruction.

These various objects I attain by the means shown in the drawings, andhereinafter specifically described.

That which I believe to be new will be pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings :-Figure 1 is a perspective view of asection of my inproved rail supported in a number of my improvedbrackets; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the upper and lower members ofthe bracket in the position that they occupy when secured to a wall,showing also the ad justing device used in connection therewith; Fig. 3is a perspective view of the lower member of the bracket; Fig. 4 is aperspective view of the upper member of the bracket; Fig. 5 is aperspective view of the adjusting device; and Fi 6 is a side elevationof the bracket and tIde adjusting device applied thereto, and showing insection my improve rail clamped between the jaws of the bracket.

In the drawings :A indicates the upper member of the bracket consisting,in the construction shown, of a single plate of heavy sheet metal bentto form a substantially vertical wall portion 7,.a horizontal railsupporting portion 8, and an upwardly and inwardly turned jaw portion 9.In the wall portion 7 is formed a slot 10 open at its upthe rail and thebracket 5 per end, which slot is adapted to fit over a screw passinginto a wall or other support.

B indicates the lower member. of the bracket which, as shown, is formedfrom a single piece of sheet-metal, and has a wall portion 11, which,when the device is in use, is adapted to stand substantially vertical soas to adapt it to bear properly on the wall or other support to whichthe device as a whole is attached.

12 indicates outwardly and upwardly inclined arms which are connected attheir outer ends by a rail or cross bar 13, as clearly shown 'in saidFig. 2. This cross arm, by reason of its action on the rail which isheld between it and the jaw 9 of the part A, is also properly;describedas a jaw. As is shown, the central portion of the lower member B is cutaway, the width ofthe opening just below the jaw 13 being sufficient toallow the member B to be slipped down over the upper part of member Auntil opposite notches 14 cut in the edges of the member A, and whenolpposite such notches, pressure is applied to t e outer edges of thearms 12 by any suitable device or tool, so that the inner edges of thesaid arms 12 will be forced into said notches 14, and thereupon the twoparts will be interlocked, and will so remain. These notches 14 are ofsufficient length so as to allow the member B to be turned backwards orforwards, so as to hold the jaw 13 away from the jaw 9 to permit of theinsertion or removal of the rail to be clamped between such jaws, or tobe forced tightly against one face of such rail. This construction, itwill be seen, connects the two parts A and B to gether pivotally.

15 indicates a hole throu h the wall portion 11 of the member B, iroughwhich a screw may be passed into a wall or other support.

16 indicates sounddeadening material such as felt, which may be glued orotherwise affixed to the inner faces of the jaw 9 and horizontal portion8 of the member A, and to the inner face of the, jaw The felt, or othersound-deadening material affixed to these three faces may be acontinuous piece, as it of course does not interfere with the freemovement of the member B.

C indicates my improved track rail, of wood or other fibrous material.This rail, in the construction shown, is broader at, its base than atits top by reason of the taper or inclination given to its sides. Theupper 13 of the member B.

described is adapted to face of the rail is flat to adapt it for usewith a wheel with a flat tread.

indicates an adjusting device adapted for use with the rail-holdingbracket AB, and as shown is formed of a single sheet of metal. It hastwo vertical side bars 17 connected by a cross bar 18 with which isformed a horizontally disposed plate 19 having a screw-threaded aperturetherein, through which passes an adjusting screw 20, adapted to bearagainst the projection 21 on the outer face of the member A, and in rearof the. jaw 13 of the member B as clearly shown in Fig. 6. The cross bar18 is formed to stand slightly away from the side bars 17, so that whensuch side bars are in position against the edges of the wall portion 11of the member B, the inner face of the cross bar will lie against theouter face of the said wall portion 11.

22 indicates holes in the vertical side bars 17 through which screws maybe passed into the wall or other support to which the bracket as a wholeis affixed. The adjusting device be applied to any one or more of thebrackets, but, in use, it will not be found necessary ordinarily toapply such adjusting device to any of the brackets other than those atthe ends of the rail. But, as such adjusting device can be applied asstated to any of the brackets, it is not necessary to construct anyspecial or differ ent bracket for the ends of the rails, as is the casein some forms of rail supports. l/Vhere the adjusting device is not usedin connection with a bracket, the lower member of such brackettowit,B-will be secured directly to the wall or other support by a screwpassing through the opening 15, but, where a bracket is employed inconnection with the adjusting device, a screw need not be passed throughsuch openin as it will be held firmly against the wafi or other supportby means of screws passing through the holes 22 in the side bars 17.

The rail is readily placed between the opposing jaws 9 and 13 byswinging the memer so as to carry its jaw 13 backward towards thevertically disposed portion 7 of the member A, and when the rail isplaced between such jaws, the member B is turned in a reverse direction,which will cause its jaw 13 to bear against one of the faces of therail, and bind it tightly in place between the two jaws, after which themember B will be secured in position to the wall or other support by ascrew passing through the opening 15; or, in case it is a bracket thathas connected with it one of the adjusting devices D, it will e securedin place by inserting screws through the holes 22 in such device D. Itwill be evident that by employing in connection with this device a railmaterially wider at its lower portion than at its upper portion, andinclining the jaws to correspond to the f l l inclination of the sidesof such rail, that the rail is very firmly locked so that it cannotpossibly move from the embrace of the jaws. Of course the rail might bedifierently shaped than as shown in the drawing, and yet preserve thefeature of being wider at its lower portion than at its upper, but inthat event, the jaws should be shaped to conform thereto. By myimprovements, I am enabled to hold the track rail with great firmnesswithout the necessity of employing any rivets or bolts passing throughthe rail itself, and this is a matter of very material advantage inseveral respects; viz: it effects a saving in time and labor in puttingup or taking down the rail, and it also adds greatly in making thepassage of the wheels that run along the rail absolutely noiseless for,where rivets or bolts are employed, or pass through the vibrations setup by the passing of the wheels are transmitted through these rivets orbolts to the metal brackets, and this notwithstanding the fact thatso-called sounddeadening devices are interposed between the rail and itsbrackets. It is true that where felt, or other sound-deadening devicesare employed, in constructions involving the riveting or bolting of therails to the brackets, that sound is in a considerable measure deadened,but, inasmuch as such bolts or rivets necessarily are in contact withthe metal brackets, all of the sound is not eliminated.

I have shown in connection with my bracket a piece of felt for sounddeadening purposes, but with a rail of wood or other brous materialandsuch I recommend as the material to form my railit will be found thatthe rail, if held, as it is, only by plates AB, will be practically anoiseless device without the interposition of such felt.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isz- 1. Arail-holding bracket, comprising in combination two members each havinga vertical wall portion adapted to rest a ainst a support/said membersbeing pivota ly connected together and each provided at one end with anopposing jaw, said jaws being adapted when said wall portions aresecured against a support to clamp a rail between them.

rail-holding bracket, comprising in combination two members each havinga vertical wall portion adapted to rest against a support, said membersbeing pivotally con nected together and each provided at one end with ano posing inclined 'aw, said aws being adapte when said walf portions aresecured against a support to clamp a rail between them.

3. A rail-holding bracket, comprising in combination two members, one ofsaid members having awall portion, a rail-supporting portion and anupturned jaw, and the other member having a wall portion and a jaw,

the rail,

\ combination two members,

' device comprising a bracket, comprising in i one of said memmeans forpivotally connecting said two members together, said jaws bein ada tedwhen said wall portions are secured against a support to clamp a railbetween them. j 5. A rail-holding bracket, comprising in one of saidmembers having a wall portion, a rail-supporting portion and an upturnedaw, and the other member having awall portion and a jaw, one of. saidmembers being provided with an opening through which the other memberextends, the side edges of one member bein notched I to receive the sideedges of the ot er memj ber, said jaws being ada ted to clamp a railbetween them when sai wall portions are l secured against a sup ort.

6. In a rail-holding bracket, the combination with a member having awall portion, a rail-supporting portion and a jaw portion, and a secondmember pivotally connected with said first member and comprising a wallportion and a jaw portion, of an adjusting fixed cross bar arranged infront of the wall portion of the secondnamed bracket-member, side barsconnected with said cross bar, and an adjusting screw carried by saidcross bar adapted to be forced against said first-named bracketmember. I

7. In a rail-holding bracket, the combination with two members movablyconnected together, the upper one of said members having its wallportion slotted for the passage of a retaining screw and to ermit ofvertical adjustment, of a device inclosing the wall portion of the lowerone of said members and being ada ted to be secured to a support, and ana justing screw carried bysaid inclosing device, said screw beingadapted to bear against said upper one of the two bracket-members.

8. The combination with a rail-holding bracket comprisin two memberseach hav ing a vertical wall ortion adapted to rest against a support, 0a fixed member extending across one of the said bracket members to holdsuch last-named bracket member against said sup ort, and means carriedby said fixed member for causing a vertical adjustment of said bracketmembers.

9. The combination with a rail-supporting bracket having a vertical wallortion adapted to rest against a support, of a bar extending across saidwall portion and having end pieces lying against the side edges of saidwall portion, through which end pieces said bar is adapted to be securedto said sup ort, and an a justing device carried by sai bar and adaptedbracket. V

THEODORE C. PROUTY. Witnesses:

A. M. Sco'r'r, H. E. Moon.

to be vmoved against sai

